Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1887-08-04


been flooded or the pump had broke.
The diamond was going all right,
though, and we knew that the force
was all right, and the connection good.
The blower that gave us air was
also workin' Think of that little
blower drivin' air down to us l.
$50 feet straight and over 800 feet
farther into the drift. Pretty soon the
air that drove the diamond drills
stopped. Then we got scared. Bill
Benthan went down to the waters
edge again and simply said: She's
comm up, boys. Where's the cold air
pipe" We cut off the diamond-drill
connection. and, my God what
grateful blast of air. Thank God!'
said Bill, the blower is going. Come
up here, boys, and get some breath.
We four sat around that air-pipe,
and our noses chung to it in turn.
l dare not tell you what we all
talked about Nobody expected to
get out alive. Bill the boss, once took
pick and said he'd smash the brains
of two of us if the other would kill him
and then kill himself. Then Bill sug-
gested that so long as strength held
out, we drill on one of the unfinished
holes, load it with giant and all go
up in bolloon together. This idea
was accepted, and Jim Allen began to
work hand-drill. The rest of us sat
there with our noses to the air-pipe.
Pretty soon l heard a click on the
pipe. 1t was tap-tap.' l picked up
hammer and hit the pipe three times.
Back came the answer-three taps. l
shouted: Boys, they know we're here?
How we yelled and danced We hud-
died around that air-pipe, and every
ten seconds or so, 'click-click' came
the echo of the hammer. We replied.
They didn't exactly know who we
were down there, and in the hope that
one of us might understand telegraph
signals they sent up and got an
operator from the telegraph Office,
and he banged away with the signals,
but we didn't understand it.
The most joyous sound on earth
for the hours we were imprisoned
there was the sound of that click
click, over the pipe. 1t was simply
the signal of hope. We did not know
what the trouble was, but that click
click assured us that Superintendent
Boyle was doing all he could. For
tunately. we had candles, and were not
in darkness. We had some tobacco,
but could only chew it. Air was too
precious to indulge in smoke. We had
nothing to eat. We did have great
tub of ice, and how we treasured it as
it melted. The draft was insufferably
hot, and we kept our noses to the pipe
and breathed the pure air forced down.
We learned afterward how excited the
whole Pacific coast was at our fate.
Women came and kneeled at that little
blower engine and prayed Heaven that
it would not break. 1t did not. If it
is possible for man to love piece of
machinery, l love that little brown dish
that sent current of life-saving air to
us over two thousand feet. That little
engine is running at the Alta Mine to-
day. and I'll git off the train at Reno
any time to go over and see it.
"Well, we were Gagged up there six
ty hours without any thing to eat. The
ice went in ten hours, so we had to
drink the hot water from the drift.
But we kept banging away at the pipe
with our signals. And all night and
all day those faithful fellows on tor
stood and clicked, clicked away to en-.
courage us"
"What was the cause of the delay?'
"They had to send to San Francisco
for machinery to repair the big pump.
They sent special engine, had the
foundry work all night, had the piec,
sent up by another special engine, and
after nearly three days of mortal an
guish and starvation = nearly three
days of hopeless entombment quarter
of a mile below the earths surface
we were rescued.
The clicks along the pipe had beer
well kept up, but in the last few hour
they came with rattle. Then w
knew the end was near. BILL tn,
boss, took his ear from the pipe anC
he said: .Goatch, l believe she'
workin',' meaning the big pump. HI
darted down the inclined cross-cut
and there came yell of delight thai
nearly froze us. She's workin', boys
she's workin'. The water is goin
down. There you, Groatch, jam you
; ear to the pipe and see if you cam
} hear it, l damned my ear up, ant
! sure enough 1 could just catch tn
throb, throb of the big engine.
yelled: "All right Bill, she's workin',
and the clicks along the pipe cam
faster than ever. We knew we wer
saved! Down on your knees, boys!
said Bill. You don't deserve to liv
if you don't And we four kneele
there. We didn't say much, but / tel
; you we meant it.
lit took three or four hours to pun
out the shaft and drift By that tim
we had burned up nearly our last car
l die, and we had had nothing to eat i
: all the period. But the big pump hel
to its work and just as soon as tn
/, 1850 station could be reached with
cage dozen strong arms were ther
to help us.
/, But never again would l 60 into
= deep silver mine. / am brave man.
said Mr. Goatch, THAT is, as brave 8
q men go. but never again will l
buried alive quarter of mile undt
: the ground with nothing but lit
I blower engine and four-inch pipe b
P tween me and death. " Chicago Tn
ane.